Dubbed the “most hotly anticipated new boozer of the year,” The Three Horseshoes in Batcombe, Somerset, UK, opened this spring and has quietly lured patrons from far and wide ever since. The biggest attraction is undoubtedly the food, which is overseen by Margot Henderson of London’s Rochelle Canteen. Her gutsy, fuss-free fare is perfectly at home in the boots-on atmosphere of this flagstone bar and dining room.
Let’s take a look around:
The pub, which is set in the shadow of the village church, belongs to the former gallerist, antiques collector, and investor Max Wigram, who has local ties. A longtime fan of Margot’s food, he brought her in to oversee the menu when the pub was purchased. (“I’ve always had fantasies about opening a pub in the countryside,” Margot has previously admitted.) With a faultless food offering in place, there was also the building itself to consider, a 17th-century coaching inn with space in the eaves for five rooms.
Max turned to local interior designer Frances Penn (daughter of designer David Mlinaric) with a simple brief. “For the ground floor we wanted to allow the beauty and rustic feel of the 17th-century coaching inn to guide us,” explains Frances. “This allowed us to create a very clean vision using a simple and organic palette of colors, textures, and finishes to enhance and complement the building.”
